Greg van Avermaet advises against van der Poel and Nys' extreme sports activities: "To the riders who have never done that, I would say: please wait, because it can end badly"

Over time, top riders' hobbies and activities when taking time off the sport vary quite a lot and in modern cycling this may be more complex than ever. Riders race less race days and prioritize training to prepare for big races, which leaves big empty gaps without racing their bike but also extremely busy and stressful periods with racing and training camps. More and more, teams are letting their top riders pursue their favourite hobbies even if they are dangerous for the sake of maintaining mental health amongst such pressure, even if the risk is questionable.

"As a spring cyclist, it is not advisable. I was never forbidden, because BMC was a Swiss team and AG2R was in Chambéry, in the Alps. Many teammates grew up on skis and always went skiing on holiday. But I never dared to do it. Self-knowledge is important," Greg van Avermaert told Het Nieuwsblad. After finishing first and third respectively at the cyclocross World Championships, or throughout the winter, both Mathieu van der Poel and Thibau Nys for example have taken up skiing.

"I have already seen a video of Thibau: he went down smoothly. Mathieu also has plenty of technique and experience. So the risk is smaller for them. But to the riders who have never done that, I would say: please wait, because it can end badly." Wout van Aert in the meantime, the day after, put on a six-hour training ride on the road.

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It is a difficult balance nowadays to manage a top rider and the extreme pressure that comes from all sides, and with immense expectations. In some ways, more freedom for the riders.

Sep Vanmarcke also shared his opinion in the matter, providing some more balance towards the riders mental health: "I did have a ban like that in my contract for a few years. And apart from that, it is not appreciated by many teams. Although you notice that the top riders are always allowed to do a little more and that the zeitgeist has changed somewhat. Now people are asking themselves: how do we keep our riders happy, so that they perform better?"

"In the past, people would look askance if you went mountain biking or running, because something had to happen. Not anymore. I would never have gone skiing anyway, because the race was everything to me and I wanted to take zero risks. But if Mathieu and Thibau want to recharge their batteries like that, far away from the bike: all understanding," he concludes. "Hopefully they will return safe and sound, because a lot is expected of them".

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